Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis says Disney probably has no plans to make a sequel to his 1988 classic, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Produced by Steven Speilberg, the film is an innovative mix of live action and animationand was a critical and public success. Although a series of Roger Rabbit short films were produced by Disney, no sequels were made despite decades of rumors.
In an appearance on Happy Sad Confused podcast to promote your new film, Here, Zemeckis was asked about the much talked about sequel to Rogério Coelho, and he admitted that there was a “good script“sitting at Disney. However, he stated that the current regime would not make a Roger Rabbit film, mainly due to the inclusion of the sultry Jessica Rabbit (voiced by Kathleen Turner). He cited the change in character from Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spinning Ride at the Disneyland resort, in which they covered their animatronic with a trench coat. Here’s what Zemeckis had to say:
There’s a good script at Disney, but here’s the thing. Here’s what you need to know. Today’s Disney would never make Roger Rabbit today. They can’t make a movie with Jessica. So there is a [Peter] Sailor and [Jeffrey] Price sequence script. Will it ever see the light of day, no matter how good it is? I mean, look what they did to Jessica at the theme park, they tied her up in a trench coat.”
What Zemeckis’ Statement Means for a Sequel
Wouldn’t get the same rating
Based on the 1981 novel, Who censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a film noir-inspired mystery set in 1947 Hollywood, where humans and cartoon characters coexist. The plot follows Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins), a private investigator with a grudge against cartoons, who must help exonerate Roger Rabbit (Charles Fleischer), a cartoon accused of murder. The film was a huge success, receiving near-universal praise from critics and earning $351.5 million on a budget of $50.6 million. Aiding the film’s success was its PG rating, which it probably wouldn’t receive today.
The plot of Who Framed Roger Rabbit borrows heavily from Roman Polanski’s classic 1974 film Chinatown, and although it might have crossed the minds of the children in the audience, seeing cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny on the screen would have delighted them. Despite the use of so many cartoon characters for children, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and openly sexual and sometimes quite darkmost notably the scene where a cartoon is tortured and murdered by Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd). A sequel today would have to tone it down considerably to get a PG rating.
This is not to say that Disney, as a company, is opposed to adult-oriented entertainment. The acquisition of 20th Century Fox opened up Fox’s entire film catalog to them, and Disney proved last summer that it’s willing to go all-in on R-rated content. Deadpool and Wolverine It is the highest-grossing R-rated film ever made, grossing over $1.3 billion. Obviously, a Rogério Coelho the sequel wouldn’t be rated R, but if they wanted to keep the same tone as the original, would likely receive a PG-13 rating.
Our Take on a Roger Rabbit Sequel
It would be a very Disney-focused film
If Disney decided to proceed with a sequel, it would likely be missing the cartoon stars from other studios. Spielberg convinced studios such as Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures to lend their characters, such as Bugs Bunny, Betty Boop and Droopy Dog, to appear in the film, which was, and still is, unreleased. The chances of a studio allowing its characters to appear in a Disney film today are incredibly slim. ONE Rogério Coelho sequel, would likely use Disney-owned intellectual property like Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars for its cameos.
Source: Happy Sad Confused